Program preselecting and control apparatus



PROGRAM PRESELECTING AND CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2, 1952 O. GOLDMANSept 17, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l G 4 R 7 9 H mm MM 12 N D 0% O O I. L a. am a N 9 4. E :5 R A 5 5 5 W- m w m m N 1 WW m m rm 9 l QMQ QQ n ukSegrfi 1.1% 1957 Q- GOLDMAN PROGRAM PRESELECTING AND CONTROL APPARATUSFiled Aug. 2, 1.952

15 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR. USE/V? auvmmv gum-4AM) ATT'Y PROGRAMPRESELEICTING AND CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2, 1952 O. GOLDMAN Sept17, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 USE/4R GULUMAN INVENTOR.

Ar-fir United States Patent Ofiice PROGRAM PRESELECTING AND CONTROLAPPARATUS Oscar Goldman, Portland, Oreg.

Application August 2, 1952, Serial No. 302,350

1 Claim. (Cl. 161-1) This invention relates to improvements inelectrically timed apparatus for preselecting and controlling the tuningin of radio receiving sets.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide apparatus of thischaracter which is of simple, efficient, durable construction, readilyadaptable to various types of radio receiving sets and which can be setin advance to automatically tune in one or more selected, predeterminedstations at selected, predetermined times for predetermined successiveor intermediate periods of time, and also set to establish silentintervals. The invention is readily adaptable, with a minimum amount ofwiring and compact arrangement of time-selector and manually actuatedstation-selector switches, to a standard 12-hour clock in which thereare 48 fifteen-minute intervals in every 12 hours of operation of theclock.

These and other objects will appear as my invention is more fullyhereinafter described in the following specifications, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, and fully pointed out in the appended claim.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an electric time clock and time andstation-selector switches made in accordance with my invention and witha fragment broken away.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional side elevation taken approximatelyalong the line 22 applied to the clock in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional front view taken approximately along the line3-3 of Figure 2 and illustrating in addition thereto the wiring diagrambetween the time-selector switches, the station-selector switches, andthe radio receiving set.

Figure 4 is a detail view of a modified form of timeselector switch.

Figure 5 is a sectional end view taken along the line 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of spring contact.

Figure 8 is a side view of Figure 7.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings:

With particular reference to Figures 1 and 2, reference numeral 1indicates generally an electric time clock disposed within a housinghaving a front wall 2, and rear wall 3 to which is secured a Telechronmotor 4, connected in its own separate electrical circuit for actuatingthe clock in the conventional manner.

The clock is mounted upon the top wall of a cabinet 5 upon whose frontwall 6, which serves as a control board, is rotatably mounted aplurality of station-selector knobs 7, each provided with a pointer 8for selecting a radio station whose call letters are inscribed on thefront wall of the cabinet 5 concentrically with the radius of movementof the pointer 8. There are 48 station-selector knobs 7, representingand corresponding with the 48 fifteen-minute intervals in a 12-hourperiod of time, and as indicated by the graduations 9, appearing on theface of the clock 1. The knobs 7 are arranged in six hori- 2,806,527Patented Sept. 17, 1957 zontal rows of eight each, and as all of therows, except for their time markings, are identical, a description ofone row will suilice for all.

In Figure 3, I have illustrated the horizontal row covering the periodof time between 6 oclock and 8 oclock which can be either a. m. or p. m.and divided into fifteen-minute intervals as shown so that any or all ofthe stations indicated generally at 11 may be selected for tuning in atany desired time between 6 oclock and 8 oclock by merely rotating theknobs 7 to the station or stations selected. The pointers 8 correspondwith the movable switch arms 13, shown in Figure 3, and each switch armis adapted to make electrical contact with individual fixed contacts 14,15, 16, and 17. All of the contacts in each horizontal row areinterconnected by wires 18, 19, 20, and 21, respectively.

Surrounding the face of the clock and extending through the front wall 2thereof is a plurality of time-selector switches generally indicated at22 spaced apart at fifteenminute intervals corresponding with thegraduations 9 on the front of the face of the clock. As best illustratedin Figures 2 and 3, each switch comprises a plunger 23 of squareformation in cross section and slidably mounted at its front end in asquare aperture 24 in the front wall 2 of the clock housing, and at itsopposite end in a square bearing 25 secured to and extending through theback Wall 3 of the clock housing. The front end of the plunger 23 isprovided with any approved type of finger grip 26 for convenience ismanipulating the plunger from the full to the dotted-line position,shown in Figure 2. Mounted upon the plunger are two bearing brackets 27and 28, rotatably supporting a roller 29 tapered at one of its ends asat 30. The bracket 27 serves as a limit stop for the inward movement ofthe plunger 23 when the bracket strikes the inner end of the bearing 25.The bracket 28 serves as a limit stop for the plunger in the oppositedirection when the bracket strikes the front wall 2 of the clockhousing. Each bearing 25 is connected by a wire 31 with its respectiveswitch arm 13, as shown in Figure 3.

The motor 4 of the clock drives a hollow tubular shaft 32, to whoseouter end is secured the hour hand 33 of the clock. Rotatably mountedinside the shaft 32 is another shaft 34, to whose outer end the minutehand 35 of the clock is secured. The front end of the shaft 32 isrotatably mounted in a bearing 36 formed in the front wall 2 of theclock housing and is surrounded by a disc of electrical insulation 37 towhich is secured by any suitable means a metal disc 38. Both discs areformed with aligned, enlarged central openings 39 of greater insidediameter than the outside diameter of the shaft 32 to prevent any dangerof a short circuit. The opposite or inner end of the shaft 32 (notshown), in like manner, extends through companion discs 37A and 38A andinto operative engagement with the clock motor 4. Secured to the shaft32 by means of nuts 40 is one end of an arm 41 of electrical insulatingmaterial, having a pair of yieldable electrical contacts 42 and 43insulated from each other and electrically connected by wires 44 and 45,respectively, to spring brackets 46 and 47, respectively, secured as at48 to both sides of the arm 41. Brackets 46 and 47 are provided withrollers 49 and 50, respectively, which are held in permanent rollingcontact with the discs 38 and 38A, respectively. The disc 38 isconnected by wire 51 to one side of a source of electrical energy. Thedisk 38A is connected by wire 52 to one side of a switch 53 carried bythe radio receiving set 54, and whose opposite side is connected by wire55 to the other side of said source of electrical energy.

The wires 18, 19, 20, and 21 in Figure 3, which interconnect theirrespective spaced apart, fixed contacts 14, 15, 16, and 17,respectively, as aforesaid, are connected a v i I 2,806,527

by wires56, 57, 58, and 59, respectively, to conventional radio-selectorswitch-actuating relays 60, 61, 62, and 63, respectively, whose oppositesides are connected by wires 64 and 65 to the side of the source ofelectrical energy indicated by the wire 55, when the yieldable springcontacts 42 and 43 are in contact with any one of the rollers 29 of theplunger switches,

a circuit will be closed from the side 51 ofthe source of electricalenergy through disc 38, roller 49, spring bracket 46, wire 44, springcontact 42, roller 29, spring contact 43, wire 45, spring bracket 47,roller 59, metal disc 38A, wire 52, through radio switch 53, then backto the other side of said source by wire 55. At the same time, the otherelectrical circuit will be closed from one side 51 of the source throughdisc 38, roller 49, bracket 46, wire 44, spring contact 42, roller 29with which the contact 42 happens to be in contact, through the plungershaft 23, bearing 25, wire 31, switch 13, any one of the fixed contacts'14, 15, 16, and 17 in contact with said switch arm, then through thecorresponding one of said wires 18, 19, 20, and 21 and the respectiveone of said wires 56, 57, 53, and 59, into one side of said respectiverelays, then back to the other side 55 of the power line through wires64 and 65.

Operation of the invention is as follows: For example, the time of dayor night shown by the clock in Figure 1 is between 7 oclock and 15minutes after 7, or in other Words, approximately in the middle of aprogram which started at 7 oclock and will finish at 7:15 over stationKGW," represented by the row of interconnected contacts 14 having theswitch arm 13A in contact with the contact 14A marked 7 oclock. Thecircuit is closed from one side 51 of the source of electrical energy tothe other side 55 thereof through the electrical connections abovedescribed. The relays 6t 61, 62, and 63 are of the conventional type,which when energized will automatically tune in the particular stationsto whose settings they are connected within the radio receiving set.Accordingly, station KGW will remain tuned in as long as the switch arm13A remains in contact with the contact 14A marked 7 oclock, or as longthereafter as the other switch arms are in contact with the advancedcontacts of fifteen-minute intervals. In other words, if it is desiredto maintain station KGW tuned in continuously from 6 oclock to 8 oclock,it is merely necessary to move all of the contact arms 13 into contactwith all of the fixed contacts 14. The same applies to the otherstations KOIN, KEX, and KPOJ, represented respectively by the rows offixed contacts 15, 16, and 1'7. When it is desired to tune in a stationat some future time, it is merely necessary to rotate the switch arm 13into contact with that station at the desired time, then push thecorresponding plunger switch inwardly so that its respective roller 29will be disposed in the path of movement of spring contacts 42 and 43 asthe spring contacts are moved in a clockwise direction with the hourhand of the clock. When a program is completed at the end of anyselected period of time, the circuit to that station will be broken asthe spring contacts 42 and 43 move away from the roller 29 with the arm41 as it moves around with the hour hand of the clock.

The modified form of time-selector switch shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6comprises a crank shaft 66, rotatably mounted in bearings 67 and 68,secured to the front and rear walls, respectively, of the clock housing.The crank portion of the shaft is provided with a roller 69 for elec-Thus, it will be seen that 4 Meal contact with either form of the springcontacts carried by either arm 41 or 41A, secured to the hour hand ofthe clock, as aforesaid, when the roller is in the elevated, full-lineposition, shown in Figure 4. The forward end of the crank shaft extendsthrough the front wall of the clock housing and is provided with aturning knob 70 for swinging the roller 69 to either the On or to theOff positions, shown in Figure 5. For maintaining the roller in the Onposition, I provide a latch in the form of a spring arm 71, secured asat 72 to the interior of the front Wall 2 of the clock housing. Pins 73and 73A extend inwardly from the interior of the front wall 2 of theclock housing and are located in the path of movement of the crankportion of the shaft 66 to serve as limit stops for the shaft and roller69 when swung to either the Off or On positions.

The modified form of spring contact, shown in Figures 7 and 8, consistsof a strip of spring metal secured at one of its ends as at 74 to theouter end of the arm 41A and connected to the wire 44A, which is theequivalent of the wire 44 in Figure 2. The contact is looped as shown sothat its opposite and free end forms a movable contact 75, adapted tomake and break contact with a fixed contact 76, secured to the outer endof the arm 41A and connected to the wire 45A, which is the equivalent ofthe wire 45 in Figure 2. The circuit between the contacts 75 and 76 isclosed as long as the looped portion of the contact is in contact witheither of the rollers 29 or 69 of either form of time-selector switchingmechanism. The central portion of the looped portion of this springcontact is projected forwardly or outwardly as at 77. The length of theprojection is equal to the distance it will travel in 15 minutes overany one of the rollers of the switch mechanism with which it is incontact.

While I have shown particular forms of embodiment of my invention, I amaware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves toothers skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as newand desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A time controlled periodic switch comprising in combination amotor-driven time clock and a housing therefor, the clock having an hourhand and a minute hand driven by two independent shafts extendingthrough and insulated from two spaced apart contact discs, a rotary armof insulating material secured at one of its ends to the shaft of thehour hand for rotation therewith, a pair of contacts secured to theopposite end of said rotary arm, a plurality of spaced aparttime-selector switches arranged circumferentially about the face of theclock housing, each selector switch comprising a shaft mounted in thefront and rear wall of said housing, means carried by the shaft of eachselector switch for movement into and out of contact with said contactsfor closing a circuit there-across, and means mounted on said rotary armin constant contact with said spaced apart contact discs andelectrically connected to said contacts.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 875,698Dubs Jan. 7, 1908 2,154,994 Prescott Apr. 18, 1939 2,195,642 De LarmApr. 2, 1940

